Tooth cleaning and gum massaging instrumentality



July 10, 1962 A. w. WARD 3,043,295

TOOTH CLEANING AND cum MASSAGING INSTRUMENTALITY Filed Nov. 6. 1959INVEN TOR. A.W. W0 rd.

ATTORNEYS.

finiteti rates 3,943 295 TGOTH CLEANING Al lD GEM MASSAGWGENSTRUMENTALITY atent Filed Nov. 6, N59, Ser. No. 851,302 1 Claim. (Cl.128-62) This invention relates to a fingercot useful in cleaning teethand massaging gums.

Various devices have been suggested in the prior art which may bemounted on the finger of the user and employed to clean teeth andmassage the soft tissue of the mouth. These, however, have not gainedmuch general acceptance by either the dental profession or the generalpublic. This lack of acceptance has been due primarily to the difficultyencountered in using these prior art devices and the ineffectiveness ofthese devices for their intended purposes.

' A common characteristic of the prior art finger cots is thenon-uniform distribution of pointed protuberances over the surface ofthe cot which is important in cleaning the teeth and massaging thegingiva. The pointed protuberances by and large have been confined toone side of the prior art finger cots. This has made it necessary toshift the cot from one hand to the other in order to clean or massagecertain surfaces of the teeth or to massage certain areas of the gums.It has also been suggested that a finger cot be provided with pointedpro-- tuberances on one side and relatively blunt, as well asrectangularly-shaped, protuberances on the other side of the cot. Thisconstruction does not avoid the disadvantage of not being able to reachconveniently certain areas of the mouth with the pointed protuberanceswhich are necessary for proper oral hygiene.

Another disadvantage of the prior art finger cots is the lack of properresistance of the pointed protuberances to bending action when appliedto the teeth or gums. This resistance is necessary to obtain the propercleaning action and stimulating action of the finger cot. Furthermore,this resistance is necessary in order to eificiently force the points ofthe protuberances between the necks of adjacent teeth. The lack ofresistance of the pointed protuberances of the prior art finger cots isto a large extent due to the fact that they are simply attached to thebase without any further support.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a finger cot whichavoids the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a finger cotwhich has pointed protuberances uniformly distributed over the wholesurface of the finger cot.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a finger cothaving pointed protuberances which are supported at their base to givethe protuberances the proper resistance to bending.

Other and more detailed objects will be apparent from the followingdescription and drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a fingercot embodied in the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectionof FIG.1 taken along the line 2-2.

Referring to FIG. 1, the finger cot is shown at 1 and is generallycylindrical in construction having a hollow interior 3. This cot may bemade of any suitable elastic material but it is preferred to use rubberin its construction.

Uniformly distributed over base 5 of cot 1 are a series of pointedprotuberances 7. These are dimensioned so that the points may fitbetween the necks of adjacent teeth to dislodge food parts and also tocontact the gingiva between the teeth so that it may be stimulated tobring a fresh blood supply to the area. The number of pro- 3,43,2@5Patented July 10, 1982 tuberances 7 that may be distributed over thebase 5 of the cot can be varied considerably. Some of the protuberancesshould be located on and all around the tip of the cot so that thefinger tip can be efiectively employed without requiring awkwardmanipulations of the finger, hand, and wrist.

Surrounding protuberances 7 at. their base are annular support members 9which give the proper bending resistance to protuberances 7. Supportmembers 9 are preferably made of rubber and made integral with base 5.If the protuberances 7 were secured directly to the thin base 5supported at the base as is characteristic of-the prior art devices, theattachment between cot and protuberance would be so flimsy thatresistance in bending toward site erasing-like motion. This is notonly'more effective.

in'mas'saging the gums but also makes for special efiiciency in forcingthe points between the teeth at the necks. This is especially importantbecause although this has been long recognized as desirable, nothingheretofore presented acts as efiiciently. The annular support 9 acts asa circular spring, the rubber fibers at all times tending to maintainthe protuberance at a predetermined angle with the base 5. When a forcebends the points out of their original upright position, the fibers atthe base of the protuberance resist this to a greater degree becausethey are better supported than if the protuberances Were merely attacheddirectly to their rubber base. This added resistance gives to the entireapparatus a liveness desirable in massage and cleaning. Furthermore, thesupport of the protuberance is desirable to increase the rigidity of thepoint without interfering with its flexibility.

As noted above, the protuberances of the present finger cot areuniformly distributed over the surface of the cot. Thus there is nodifferentiation between front, back or sides. It can be picked up in anyposition even by a blind person and immediately put into proper use.

A method for efliciently using the device of the present invention isoutlined below.

cot is placed between the occlusal surfaces of the jaws in contact withthe cheek. The finger and wrist assume a normal unstrained position. Themouth is closed to relax the muscles. If the finger is on the left sideof the mouth, the lateral surface will be in contact with the buccalsurfaces of the teeth, gingivae and gums. Beginning with the mostposterior tooth, make forward and backward horizontal movements on gumsand teeth to embrace one or more teeth at a time, gradually movinganteriorly to the median line. Repeat on mandibular teeth with mouthclosed as previously. It will be found that lateral surface of thefinger orthumb functions without wrist strain.

Step 2.Mouth open, with dorsal or back surface of the cot, cleanse andmassage all lingual surfaces of teeth, gingivae and gums including thehard palate membrane. With forward and backward motion, vertical andhorizontal combination, cleanse and massage lingual surfaces of themaxillary incisors.

Step 3. Mouth open, place cot in apposition with check, back or dorsalsurface of cot touching buccal surfaces of the teeth. Close mouth, brushand massage; with dorsal surface in cuspic region, turn hand untilpalmar surface of finger conveniently operates on labial surfaces of allanterior teeth.

The finger now placed in the mouth conveniently functions interiorly.The distal side of the cot functions ideally.on the lingual surfacesleft side, while the palmar surface functions ideally against thelingual anterior surfaces as well as the same surfaces of the mandible.(1) Mouth. open, place cot, close mouth, left side buccal mesial sidefunctions-all buccal surfaces; labial and buccal. v

(2) Month kept open, distal surface of finger operates Back or surface.Uppers completed, lowers completed, except Vanteriors which are donewith palmar surface of cot.

Any finger may be'used in the procedure outlined above.

It has been found, however, that the thumb works best;

7 While the invention has been described with particular reference tospecific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not limitedthereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by thescope of the appended claim What is claimed is: r

tributed on all sides of the outside surface of said cot, each of saidpointed protuberances being encircled by a low supporting ring lyingadjacent to but slightly spaced from the base of said pointedprotuberances at the juncture of said protuberances with said cot, saidrings being spaced from'one another, all of said pointed protuberancesand rings being separately raised above the surface of the thin cot bodyso as not to impair the overall flexibility thereof While providing eachpointed protuberance with q its individual supporting ring, said pointedprotuberances projecting sufficiently beyond the top of the supportingring as tobe able to enter effectively the spaces between the teeth. a

References Cited in the file of this patent A cot useful in cleaningteeth and massaging gums and provided with a multitude of outwardlyextending, yieldable pointed protuberances' substantially uniformly dis-UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland 16, 1929

